RANDOM THOUGHTS…

RANDOM THOUGHTS

I’ll start with Steven Tyler. The Aerosmith front man and American Idol judge sang the national anthem at Gillette Stadium on Sunday before the Patriots’ 23-20 win over Baltimore. It wasn’t perfect, but because it was Steven, I loved it. I didn’t think much more about it until Monday when I started reading the reviews. I found the criticism to be a little harsh. Tyler, decked out in a very shiny Patriots scarf, is our guy. The only “real” rock star from New England (with all due respect to Tom Brady). Maybe the voice isn’t as powerful as it once was, but it is unmistakable.

It reminded of one the best days I ever had. My brother Luke and I were able to secure tickets to Game 1 of the 2004 World Series. We were like a couple of little kids as we made our way to Fenway. There to throw out the first pitch was one of our childhood heroes, Carl Yastrzemski. Yaz was right on target. Tyler, who lives in Marshfield Mass., belted out the anthem and later that evening, American Idol, season 1 champion, Kelly Clarkson sang “God Bless America.” I guarantee you, Kate Smith never looked so good, even on her best day. Yaz, Steven and Kelly made it a special night. Oh yeah, the 11-9 win over St. Louis was pretty special, too. I don’t care if they have to wheel Tyler out there on a stretcher, the guy is a star. By the way, where can I get one of those scarves? I’d definitely wear it.

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Boston Bruins goalie, Tim Thomas was not with the team as they visited President Obama to celebrate last seasons’ Stanley Cup championship over Vancouver. The Bruins trekked to the nations’ capitol to visit with the President. Thomas and defenseman Steven Kampfer were the only Americans on the squad. On one hand, I find it to be disrespectful As the sayng goes, “you don’t have to respect the man, but you must respect the office.” Looking at the flip side, that is what’s great about being an American. Freedom of Choice. Bruins President, Cam Neely defended his star goalkeeper. “Everyone has their own opinions and political beliefs and he chose not to join us.” Such an occurence is not without precedence. When the Red Sox travelled to Washington after the 2007 win over Colorado, Manny Ramirez was a “no show.” George W. Bush acknowledged his absence, quipping “I guess his grandmother died again.”